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Bahadur Shah II Rare article

Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors that ruled over India for over 300 years. After the death of his father in 1837 Bahadur Shah II was placed on the throne when he was a little over 60 years of age. Like his father he was a weak ruler due to the British domination over India at the time. During the War of Independence in 1857 the freedom fighters nominated Bahadur Shah as their Commander-in-Chief but eventually the strong and organized British forces defeated them and Bahadur Shah was overthrown. He was arrested from Humayun’s tomb, in Delhi, where he was hiding and numerous male members of his family were killed and imprisoned by the British. In 1858 Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried for treachery and was exiled to Rangoon. He lived his last five years there and died in 1862 at the age of 87. The only known photograph was taken in 1858 just after his trial in Delhi and before his departure for exile in Rangoon.Interesting Fact:: Bahadur Shah is known to have had four wives and numerous concubines. He had 22 sons and at least 32 daughters. In 1959, the All India Bahadur Shah Zafar Academy was founded expressly to spread awareness about his contribution to the first national freedom movement of India.